Brittle
by Cymoril Avalon
Summary: AU Battle City. As Shizuka watches over Mai, musing about her life and the tournament, she has an unexpected visitor.


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!

Author's Note: Christmas fic for my dear Wendy. Love you! R&R

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Silent. Everything was so blissfully silent at this time of night, and Shizuka fully enjoyed the opportunity to stretch out in the chair and enjoy it. Usually, her brother and his friends were around her every moment they could – checking up on Mai, of course, not on her, though she sometimes wondered about Otogi and Honda – and sometimes, their constant nattering got on her nerves. She was quiet by nature, and while she adored her brother and would be around him every second she could, his friends intruded upon her preferred silence, constantly yelling and bickering and discussing trivial matters, or even worse, posturing. She shivered delicately and drew the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

She was, of course, too polite to tell them to cut it out or leave, and so she suffered with a warm smile on her face. She genuinely liked some of them – Anzu especially was kind to her, though she sensed a sort of…condescending tone now and again – and of course they were her brother's friends, and thus she treated them with courtesy. But sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she could break her silence and scream at them. They would be too shocked though, since the calm, good-natured Shizuka they knew would never verbally tear them apart, and so she hid her feelings and did what she knew her brother wanted her to do.

Her eyes roamed over Mai's unconscious form, a small smile quirking up her lips. Mai had been kind to her as well, supporting her belief in her brother while Honda and Otogi had tried to break it down. Mai was in love with her brother, so obvious with her feelings that she was amazed the others hadn't caught on, and she definitely approved. Mai was strong and independent, a confident, powerful duelist, and she was beautiful. She was a little too hotheaded, especially for her brother, but she was sure their other traits would balance each other out. Their relationship would be fierce, fiery, and Mai would never come across a boy more devoted.

If she ever woke up, of course.

She didn't understand what had happened – what was it that dark-skinned man had done with that golden object? – but she didn't really need to. She'd accepted her role as Mai's protector not only because she liked and respected the woman, but because it was expected of her. She was the sweet one, the caring one, and why would she want to watch more of those awful duels? Besides, it made her brother happy, knowing that his own flesh and blood was in this room, watching Mai. Sometimes, it seemed as if he didn't really trust anyone else, except perhaps for Yuugi. He was a strange one, that boy, randomly switching between being as quiet and shy as she, and self-confident and imperious. Shivering again, she focused her attention back on Mai; for some reason, dwelling on the boy gave her a chill.

She wasn't sure what she was watching for though. Mai had resisted all attempts at waking her up, though from the outside she appeared perfectly normal, just a young woman getting her beauty sleep. Her brother was livid, though, and determined to bring the Egyptian down and rescue Mai from whatever mental prison she was in. Pride welled in her chest and she smiled to herself, fingers clutching at the thick blanket. Her brother really was so very noble, caring for and protecting those he loved – her above all, of course – and taking that duty very seriously. She had no doubt he would go to any length to save Mai, and she would be there to support him whenever he needed it.

She was broken out of her thoughts when the door opened. Surprised, she turned her head, gasping and rising when the Egyptian strolled into the room, the golden object firmly grasped in his hand. He looked surprised to see her, the shock melting into a distasteful sort of leer as she backed away, eyes darting towards the phone. The chair was in her way, and a nightstand, and he would make it there before she could, so she didn't so much as twitch.

"Well, well, what have we here?" He grinned at her, his eyes lighting up unpleasantly. His gaze flickered from her to Mai and back again, and his grin widened. "What were you doing with that woman?"

"W-what do you want?" she shot back, voice trembling as much as her body.

He looked slightly annoyed at her questioning, his pupil-less eyes gazing at her intently. "You're not supposed to be here."

She blinked at that, unsure of how to respond.

"Those idiots actually placed a guard over a woman who isn't going to wake up. They're a lot stupider than I thought." His annoyance melted away, leaving him grinning again. "Though their decision is obviously to my benefit."

That made her back up again, her thighs hitting the edge of the bed, and she almost fell backwards right onto Mai. "What do you want?" She tried to sound brave, she really did, like the woman who had fought him and lost, but the question came out strained.

"Darkness. Eternal and all-encompassing. But until that, well, I'll settle for you." Stalking forward with a soft, deranged giggle, he closed the distance between them in the amount of time it took Shizuka to whimper. He leaned into her until she was sitting down, pressed against the side of Mai's leg, his arms resting on either side of her and his face merely inches away from hers.

"I'll scream," she warned. If she did, someone would hear. Her brother would come running and save her, or Yuugi, or Honda or Otogi, or maybe even Kaiba, though she wasn't even sure where his room was.

"I certainly hope so." Licking his lips, he leaned in and kissed her harshly, the hand holding the Rod shifting to press it against her side. The metal was cold, the chill seeping in through her shirt and spreading through her entire body. Whimpering, she bit his lower lip hard, feeling the blood trickle down and stain her lips as well as his, and jerked away.

"Leave me alone," she whispered.

"Not a chance." Unsheathing the blade of the Rod, he continued to grin down at her, tongue swiping at the droplets as if they were the finest red wine. Pressing her further back into the bed with his sheer presence – she continued to recoil as he continued to lean closer and closer, nearly sprawling her over Mai's legs – he broke into disturbed laughter.

Shizuka shuddered, her hands behind her, fingers pressed into the blanket and between Mai's legs, balancing herself so as not to crush the other. "I swear to you, I'll…"

"Yes, yes." He sounded impatient, pressing the edge of the blade against her neck. "Stop teasing me and scream already." A thin line of blood appeared, and a sick light brightened his otherwise vacant eyes. "Don't disappoint me, girl, and maybe I'll let you live."

Her eyes flickered towards the closed door, a part of her mind telling her that no one was going to come to her rescue. Even if she screamed, they might not hear her, and she knew better than anyone how deeply her brother slept. Frightened and unable to control her trembling, her gaze snapped back to his, his face filling the entirety of her vision.

And when she did finally scream, the sound loud and pure, no one heard.


End file.
